The first suicide attack in Mid East contemporary history was carried out by three members of the Japanese Red Army in 1972, the Lod Airport massacre.

It might be the case to emphasise the business behind the suicide industry. It has similarities to the organized crime, hefty insurance for relatives or settling of debts.There's a fascinating judiciary document in Italy on the confession and deprogramming of a suicide bomber arrested before he acted, related to the Abu Omar case.

For the record and for what it's worth, there are 12th-century Arab accounts of suicide attacks against European Crusaders.